1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrolysis method and apparatus wherein a positive electrode and a negative electrode are immersed in electrolyte to cause electrolysis to occur so that atoms or molecules may be occluded into or stick to the negative electrode or/and the positive electrode.
2. Description of the Related Art
An electrolysis apparatus typically has such a configuration as schematically shown in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 1, a positive electrode 1 and a negative electrode 2 are immersed in electrolyte 3 so that atoms or molecules are occluded into or stick to the negative electrode 2 or/and the positive electrode 1 by electrolysis. In the electrolysis apparatus, main electric current and ion current by ions flow from the positive electrode 1 to the negative electrode 2 through the electrolyte 3. If the currents are regarded as an electric current flux as seen in FIG. 2, a circular electric field is generated in accordance with the Fleming""s left-hand rule by the electric current flux, and electromagnetic force directed perpendicularly toward the center axis of the electric current flux is generated by the magnetic field. Here, where the current density is represented by J and the magnetic flux density is represented by B, the electromagnetic force F is given by F =Jxc3x97B.
Now, if it is assumed that the electrolysis apparatus is utilized to occlude hydrogen into a hydrogen occluding substance such as palladium used for the negative electrode, then since hydrogen atomic nuclei have the positive charge, they are acted upon by the electromagnetic force F and movement thereof toward the hydrogen occluding substance such as palladium of the negative electrode is disturbed. As a result, occlusion of the hydrogen atomic nuclei into the hydrogen occluding substance is suppressed. This similarly applies to plating or the like.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an electrolytic method and apparatus by which occlusion of hydrogen or sticking of atoms or molecules in plating and so forth is not disturbed by electronic magnetic force generated by main electric current and ion current flowing from the positive electrode to the negative electrode through electrolyte.
In order to attain the object described above, according to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electrolysis method wherein a positive electrode and a negative electrode are immersed in electrolyte in an electrolysis tank to cause electrolysis to occur, comprising the step of applying an opposite magnetic field for canceling a magnetic field produced by main electric current and ion current flowing in the electrolyte from the positive electrode to the negative electrode.
Electric current of a direction opposite to that of the main electric current and the ion current flowing in the electrolyte from the positive electrode to the negative electrode may be supplied to an electric circuit provided between but separate from the positive electrode and the negative electrode to produce the opposite magnetic field which cancels the magnetic field produced by the main electric current and the ion current flowing in the electrolyte.
As an alternative, the opposite magnetic field which cancels the magnetic field produced by the main electric current and the ion current flowing in the electrolyte may be produced using a permanent magnet or an electromagnet.
Preferably, an electric field is increased by an auxiliary positive electrode coated with an electric insulating material and disposed at a position in the proximity of the positive electrode remote from the negative electrode.
The negative electrode may be made of a hydrogen occluding substance and occludes hydrogen atomic nuclei.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electrolysis method wherein a positive electrode and a negative electrode are immersed in electrolyte in an electrolysis tank to cause electrolysis to occur, comprising the step of using, as the electrolysis tank, an electrolysis tank which is partitioned into a positive electrode tank and a negative electrode tank by an electrically insulating nonmagnetic partition having an opening through which the electrolyte can communicate between the positive electrode tank and the negative electrode tank and in which the positive electrode is disposed in the positive electrode tank and the negative electrode is disposed in the negative electrode tank to perform electrolysis wherein main electric current and ion current flowing in the electrolyte from the positive electrode through the opening to the negative electrode flows in the opposite directions to each other at a place from the positive electrode to the opening and another place from the opening to the negative electrode across the partition thereby to produce magnetic fields which cancel each other.
With the electrolysis methods and also electrolysis apparatus by which the electrolysis methods are carried out, an opposite magnetic field for canceling a magnetic field produced by main electric current and ion current flowing in the electrolyte from the positive electrode to the negative electrode is applied to cancel electromagnetic force acting in a direction toward the center of the magnetic field. Consequently, occlusion of hydrogen or sticking of molecules (plating) is not disturbed by such electromagnetic force, and therefore, the hydrogen occlusion efficiency, the plating efficiency, the hydrogen gas production efficiency or the like efficiency is improved.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like parts or elements are denoted by like reference symbols.